Pneumatic cleaner.



J. B. KIRBY.

PNEUMATIC CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22. 1916.

l ,206,'1 1 6. I Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

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mwmwm" J; B- KIRBY.

PNEUMATIC CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22, 1916.

1 ,206, ll 6. PatentedNov. 28, 1916.

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UNITED 5 JAMES B. KIRBY, 01 CLEVELAND, OHIQ.

PNEUMATIC CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented NOV. 28, 1916.

Original application filed. August 19, 1911, Serial No. 644,956. Divided and this application filed January 22, 1916. Serial No. 73,581.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JAMES B. Kinny, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Pneumatic Cleaners, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to suction cleaners and has for its object-the provision of new and improved devices for agitating and stirring up the dust or other refusev so as to be dislodged by the air stream; the rovision of new and improved appliances or operating such agitating mechanism; the provision of agitator operating devices adapted to be driven by friction with the supporting surface but without admitting air to interfere with the normal 0 eration of the cleaner; while further ob ects and advantages will appear as the description proceeds.

Specifically this application is a division of my prior application filed August 19, 1911, Serial No. 644,956.

Generally speaking my invention may be defined as consisting of the combinations and constructions recited in the claims hereto annexed and illustrated in one embodiment in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this application, wherem- Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a complete machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in elevation of the machine proper, the end of the nozzle being broken away to show the traction devices; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view; Fig. 4 is a cross section taken through the nozzle and suction chamber and showing the agitating device; and Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Figs. 2 and '3.

Describing the parts by reference characters, the machine here shown has an outer casing formed in three sections shown at 10, 11 and 12. At the base of the casing is arranged a suction chamber 14, the wall of which at the rear is rounded and then flares outwardly and forwardly and terminates in a nozzle 15 formed with a downwardly-facing, elongated inlet mouth. The forward lip of said mouth is shown at 1 and is connected by means of an upwardly extendin wall 2 with the division plate 3 whie operation of the cleaner.

forms the top of the nozzleand the bottom of the fan chamber. The rearward lip of this mouth is shown at 4 and is connected by the rearwardly extending wall 5 to the plate 3 at a point beyond the axis of the fan chamber. Communication is established between the suction chamber and fan chamber by means of an aperture 6 formed in the wall 3.

At each end of the nozzle is formed a small pocket or housing 16 adapted to contain the traction mechanism. Preferably this pocket or housing comprises a flat upright end wall 7 extending rearwardly from the lip l and a similar wall 8 extends rearwardly from the lip 4, said walls being connected at their rearmost portion by a web 9 which extends upwardly and forwardly as shown in Fig. 2 until it joins the wall 2 and completes said housing.

A shaft 17 extends longitudinally of the nozzle and the ends thereof are journaled in the end walls 7-7, and at each end of the shaft is rigidly secured a driving element such as the friction wheel 18. In each of the housings or pockets is mounted a small traction wheel 22 which projects downwardly below the bottom of the nozzle and extends forwardly into the main portion thereof and frictionally' engages with the adjacent wheel 18; so that when the device is moved over the surface which is to be cleaned, the rotation of the traction wheels 22 will drive the friction wheels 18, causing the shaft 17 to revolve and operate the agitating devices. These devices in the present embodiment comprise a plurality of eccentrics 19 suitably spaced along the shaft 17 and each provided around its perimeter with a deep groove 20 in which is arranged a loosely fitting ring 21 of larger diameter than the body of the eccentric. When the shaft 17 is revolved these rings tend to assume and maintain an outward position by reason of centrifugal force, but yield upon striking the carpet or other floor covering seats to strike the same a succession of gentle blows or taps, which dislodge the dust without injuring the fabric or impeding the The pockets or housings 78-9 being open only on their lower sides are effectually sealed against the admission of air when the cleaner is in use so that the operation of the agitating devices is effected without disturbing the suction cffect, and the operation of the suction in tending to elevate the floor covering into contact with the nozzle tends to aid the operation of said dust agitating devices since it draws the carpet into closer contact with the traction wheels.

It will be apparent that numerous changes in details can be made without departing from the scope of my invention or the intent of the claims hereto annexed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle having spaced front and rear walls terminating in spaced, parallel, horizontal lips defining an elongated inlet mouth, spaced parallel transverse walls extending from said first walls, and defining a housing, a floor engaging traction wheel journaled in said housing, and floor-engaging agitating devices located insaid inlet mouth and operatively connected to said traction wheel.

2. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle having spaced front and rear walls terminating in parallel, horizontal lips defining an elongated inlet mouth, a vertical wall extending rearwardly at right angles from each end of each of said first walls, the rear wallof said nozzle being shorter than the front wall whereby said vertical walls are spaced from each other, webs connecting said vertical walls to complete the housings defined thereby, a shaft mounted in said nozzle longitudinally thereof, dust dislodging devices carried by said shaft, and traction wheels journaled in said housings and operatively connected to said shaft.

3. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle having spaced front and rear walls terminating in parallel, horizontal lips defining an elongated inlet mouth, the rear wall being shorter than the front wall, transverse vertical walls extending rearwardly from the ends of each of said first walls and spaced apart to define housings that communicate with said inlet mouth, webs connecting the top and rear edges of each pair of walls and inclosing said housings, carrying wheels journaled in said housings, and agitating devices in said inlet mouth operatively connected to said wheels.

et. In a pneumatic cleaner, the combination of a suction chamber provided with an outwardly flaring nozzle, a housing formed at each side of the suction chamber, traction wheels mounted in said housings, a shaft extending longitudinally of said nozzle, friction wheels mounted on the ends of said shaft and adapted to engage said traction wheels, and agitating devices carried by said shaft adapted to come in contact with the surface which is to be cleaned when said shaft is rotated.

5. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle having a downwardly facing inlet mouth, a hori zontal shaft journaled in said nozzle above said mouth, a plurality of eccentric members carried by said shaft, and beating devices loosely mounted on said eccentric members and adapted to strike the working surface when said sh'aft is revolved.

6. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle having a downwardly facing inlet mouth, a horizontal shaft journaled in said nozzle above said mouth, a plurality of eccentrics carried by said shaft and each having a deep peripheral groove, and rings loosely encircling said eccentrics and fitting loosely in said grooves andadapted to strike the working surface when said shaft is revolved.

7. In a vacuum cleaner, a nozzle having a plurality of rearwardly extending pockets in open communication with the interior thereof, nozzle supporting rollers rotatably mounted within said pockets projecting downwardly below the bottom of the nozzle and extending forwardly into the main portion thereof.

8. In a vacuum cleaner, a nozzle having a "plurality or rearwardly extending pockets in open communication with the interior thereof, nozzle supporting rollers rotatably mounted within said pockets projecting downwardly below the bottom of the nozzle, a member mounted for rotation in the nozzle, agitating devices operated by said member, and friction driving means on said member in direct contact with the surface of the supporting rollers.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.

JAMES B. KIRBY. 

